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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 708, 2 August 1870, Page 2

On Sunday, the Bishop of Nelson held a confirmation service in Trinity Church. In the afternoon he preached at Cobden ; and in the evening the Eev. Mr Flav_el, of Charleston, concluded the services in the Trinity Church. The adjourned meeting for the purpose of considering the advisability of forming a Public Literary Society, will be held this evening, at the Union Hotel, at eight o'clock. It is to be hoped there will be a large attendance. The monthly meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last night at the engine-room. The treasurer's balance-sheet was received, and the auditor's report thereon adopted. The sheet showed a balance of Lll 16s 9d to meet liabilities amounting to over .1.100. Within the last six months the Brigade has received from the public the sum of L 26 15s as donations, irrespective of payments on account of the night-watchman, -which is a very small sum considering that a large fire has taken place in the interval. The balance-sheet will be published in duo course. On Sunday afternoon, the sou of Captain Allanlyee, .Harbormaster, fell off the wharf into the river. Fortunately bis father was near tbo spot, and he at once jumped from the "wharf, and being a good swimmer succeeded in holding up the boy until they were both rescued. The public meeting of the inhabitants to consider the financial proposals of the General Government, is tc be held to-morrow evening in Gilmer's Hall, at eight o'clock. His Worship the Mayor has consented to preside. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq., K.M., John Neilsoh was charged witli having been drunk aud incapable on Saturday morning. He denied the charge, buc the constable swore that he was helplessly drunk, and had been for two days and nights previously. Having been locked up since Saturday morning, he was discharged with a caution. —John Flannei-y admitted having been drunk and disorderly, but as he had also been locked up since Saturday, he was discharged with a caution. — Mary Murphy, and John Davison ; no appearance, case dismissed. On Monday last protection for a prospecting area was granted to. a party of eight, working as Richard Cooke and party. The site of operations is at a pakihi near the entrance to the bush track to Giles Terrace, Buller, having an area of SOO x 120Uft. The workings are described as alluvial. Robert Hunter, miner at No Town, who was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday last, suffering from a broken leg, died on Sunday. Yesterday Mr Revell. the District Coroner, held an inquest at Gilmer's Hotel, when the folloiving evidence waa giren .- — William M. Levy, a miner afc No Town, said he knew the deceased hy the name of Robert Hunter. He was a miner and a mate of mine for three weeks, but had known him for twelve months. He and I were falling a tree on the terrace opposite No Town. I was cutting the back and he the front. When it gave way we both stepped back about six feet from it, and were only about a foot from each ether. The tree in falling caught in the fork of another tree about thirty yards away. It carried away one limb with it, and the other limb came back on us. It was about a foot through. It broke about 26 feet from the surface. I saw it coming first, and called out. I stopped and the limb knocked my hat off. Deceased had no time to move, and the limb caught him above the ankle and was jammed down in the ground. I got the axe aud cut it off, clearing his leg. I found it was broken, and then called the other mates, one of whom went for the chemist and the other for the stretcher. The chemist did what he could for the leg on the ground, and we carried the deceased to No Town on Monday, at three o'clock, and next day brought him to the Grey Eiver Hospital. I know nothing of the deceased. I think he would be over 40 years of age, but cannot say where he came from. He had no . property to my knowledge.- Dr Morice, surgeon of the Grey River Hospital : The deceased was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon last for a compound fracture of the left leg. Inflammation and mortification set in, and I amputated the leg above the knee on Friday morning. He died on Suuday of inflammatory typhoid fever, the result of mortification. The jury returned a verdict of " accidental death." We have i since heard that the deceased was a native of JBallyclare, County Antrim, Ireland, aucl 45 years of age. Yesterday afternoon the mortal remains of the deceased were conveyed to the Cemetery, and tho respect in which he was held was shown by the large number of miners ami storekeepers whA rode down from the up-country diggings to attend the funeral, as well as by the large number of townspeople who were present. It is announced that Dr. Acheson, late of Hokitika, has commenced to practice his profession in this town, where he intends permanently to reside. An Auckland contemporary has been favored with a copy of a private letter written by a well-known Auckland citizen from San Francisco, the writer being en route to Europe, to a gentleman now resident in the Province. It appears that the Californians arj quite taken with the specimens which have been exhibited in the Stock Exchange. The letter is dated the 7th June. The following extract will give a tolerably correct idea of the excitement created. The letter, after mentioning some private matters, proceeds to say : — " Immediately on my arrival here I went to see some stockbrokers, by whom I was introduced to the Stock Exchange, where 1 made the acquaintance of a

great many parties interested in minging matters. At their request I took the specif m ns I have with me. You can have no idea whatever of the excitement these specimens created. Hundreds came to see them, and all expressed their opinion that they were the richest ever touud. They asserted, as a fact, that there never was anything equal, as to richness, seen in California. They asko.l my penr.ission to allow them to be exhibited in. the window of the Stock Exchange, and hundreds came to see them, both yesterday and to-day. I have learned here that stone yielding from four to five pennyweights to the ton pays well. A yield of eight pennyweights is considered a rich claim, and a yield of fifteen pennyweights to the ton is considered 'pile', for anyone interested. I also heard that with the present crushing, calcining, concentrating, chlorine process— which last is the most important of all saving appliance — they save 35 per cent, of the gold contained iv the stone, lo give you an idea how the mines are worked here, I may mention that to-day (7th of June) a sale was made to Rothschilds, who have a house here, of a mine with eighteen acres of land and a thirty-stamper battery, with a ten feet lift, for 700,000d61a , (LI 50, 000) which mine yields no more than [ eight pennyweights. I believe you will have several visitors from this place, attracted by the richness of the Thames district, as shown by these specimens. The specimens were taken from the rich claims, such as the Golden Crown, Long Drive, Waiternata, and Eureka claims." The Christy Minstrels gave their first concert at Hokitika on Saturday evening. The HawMs Bay Herald of a late date, says : — "Quartz,. in which traces of gold are said to be distinctly visible, is reported as having been picked up in the Maraekakaho. " As the steamer Lalla Rookh was about to leave the Coromandel harbor on her trip to the Thames on Wednesday week, a passenger was put off in a boat on his way to the Thames Hospital, but had no sooner reached the deck of the vessel than he fell down and expired. His name is not known. The New Zealand Gazette of the 27th July contains the appointment of J. Kilgour, Esq., Mayor of Greymouth, to be a Justice .of the Peace, within the Borough, and during his tenure of office. Major Kemp, a native military officer, arrived at Wanganui on Friday last with a draft drawn by the Government on the Bank of New Zealand for L 11,300. He was, we understand, received with acclamation by the Native Contingent. The petitions, with several hundred signatures attached, from the miners of Westland north, addressed to the House of Representatives and His Excellency the Governor, the one praying for increased representation, and the. other for the withdrawal, under the Gold Fields Act, ISJ6, of the delegated powers from the Superintendent, and tho establishing of Mining Boards, have beeu forwarded to Mr Kymicrsley, M. M. R. , for presentation. The new notes that are jvbout to be issued by the Bank of New Zealand are really excellent specimens of artistic skill. On the left hand side are two engravings within circular borders, the tne representing Mount Egmont in the distance with two Maoris clothed in mats in the foreground, and the other being the seal of the Bank, namely, a thoroughly New Zealaud scene, with a volcano iv eruption in the background. In the centre of the Ll notes are the words " One Pound " on a green ground, the colors being different in each description of note, the fives being buff, tho tens light brown, and the twenties lavender. It is to bo hoped that the filthy pieces of paper that so excited Judge Richmond's ire about twelve months ago will soon be withdrawii from circulation, their places being taken by the cleaner and more tasteful notes that are now about to be issued from our national Bank. The four men, Breen, Walsh, Costollo, and Scanlan, convicted of an assault upon the police at Charleston, were sentenced to one month's imprisonment. The Westport Times says that any hope that may have been entertained as to the sea encroachment having ceased, giving place to a new formation of beach, has been dispelled by the experience of the last few days. Recent tides have again carried away large quantities of sand and shingle at the lower end of Gladstone street, and the first rough weather in conjunction with high tides will again make serious inroad upon the portion of the township referred to. With a view to being prepared in the event of tho state of the beach jendering necessary the removal of the gaol, the prisoners -will, wo understand, bo engaged in draining and clearing a site on the Government reserve in Palmerston street. The work is a judicious one, as, in the event of the gaol being removed, it will greatly expedite the matter if a convenien'; site is prepared to receive the build■ings. At Timaru, oiiithe 16th ul't., a volunteer named Haw ley was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for illegally carrying fire arms. He had threatened to shoot Mr Alexander Smith on the night of the Artillery Volunteer Ball held there, and was only prevented from doing so by great force. Mr Smith will be remembered by many in Greymouth as the agent of the Wild Wave, Ocean Wave, Dancing Wave, and other schooners, which at one time formed a little fleet of traders between Lyttelton aud Kaiapoi aud this' port. More than one gentleman has succeeded iv eluding the vigilance of his creditors in Auckland of late, find making his escape with a tolerably full pocket to America or some other haven of rest. We do not know, however, of any instance on record in which a creditor was so skilfully baffled as in the case of a gentleman — weil known at the Thames— who took his departure for San Francisco by the City of Melbourne. On the' occasion in question, just as the City was about to start, our traveller came on board, and in order to avoid the possibility of any too solicitous creditor espying him, he ensconced himself snugly behind a screen. A brief interval elapsed, when an anxious creditor— who had evidently an idea upon the subject- -appeared upon the scene, and, as luck would have it, the fugitive was at that moment peering suspiciously from his hiding place. The creditor *v£ once caught sjglifc o£ him, and rushing up, greeted him warmly with, *' Why, you are not going to leave us, are you ?" " Hush, hush," said the runaway without hesitation, " don't use my name, for goodness sake— l am watching a man who owes me L2OO, and who is trying to bolt." Satisfied and consoled, the creditor departed. So did the City of Melbourne with the debtor. This is an illustration of i one of the advantages which Auckland derives / from being the port of call. ]